Straining Forward. Standing Firm.

John Owen, Community Pastor

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Today, we’ll explore three aspects of this passage:

 1. The race we’re running

 2. The dangers that distract us, and

 3. The Hope that sustains us

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The Race We’re Running

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Philippians 3:12-14

¹²Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. ¹³Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, ¹⁴I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.

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“pressing on” (Greek: dioko, meaning to pursue or chase) with determination.

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1 Corinthians 9:24-27

²⁴Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it. ²⁵Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. ²⁶So I do not run aimlessly; I do not box as one beating the air. ²⁷But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified.

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The Christian life involves continuous growth and pursuit of Christlikeness, leaving behind distractions and focusing on eternity.

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“Faith never stops pursuing, never stops growing, and never settles for yesterday’s accomplishments. The prize of Christ’s fullness is worth every sacrifice, every effort, and every ounce of our devotion.” — A.W. Tozer, The Pursuit of God

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The Dangers That Distract Us

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Philippians 3:15-16

¹⁵Let those of us who are mature think this way, and if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal that also to you. ¹⁶Only let us hold true to what we have attained.

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Maturity in faith means striving for unity, holding fast to revealed truth, and trusting God to guide growth.

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Ephesians 4:11-16

¹¹And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, ¹²to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, ¹³until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, ¹⁴so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes. ¹⁵Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, ¹⁶from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.

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Philippians 4:17

¹⁷Not that I seek the gift, but I seek the fruit that increases to your credit.

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Spiritual growth is often nurtured through godly mentorship and community.

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1 Corinthians 11:1

¹Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ.

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Hebrews 13:7

⁷Remember your leaders, those who spoke to you the word of God. Consider the outcome of their way of life, and imitate their faith.

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Philippians 3:18-19

¹⁸For many, of whom I have often told you and now tell you even with tears, walk as enemies of the cross of Christ. ¹⁹Their end is destruction, their god is their belly, and they glory in their shame, with minds set on earthly things.

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Avoid being captivated by worldly desires and instead align your life with the cross of Christ.

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Romans 16:17-18

¹⁷I appeal to you, brothers, to watch out for those who cause divisions and create obstacles contrary to the doctrine that you have been taught; avoid them. ¹⁸For such persons do not serve our Lord Christ, but their own appetites, and by smooth talk and flattery they deceive the hearts of the naive.

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Colossians 3:1-5

¹If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. ²Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. ³For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. ⁴When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory. ⁵Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry.

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The Hope That Sustains Us

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Philippians 3:20-21

²⁰But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, ²¹who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself.

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Avoid being captivated by worldly desires and instead align your life with the cross of Christ.

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2 Corinthians 5:1-5

¹For we know that if the tent that is our earthly home is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. ²For in this tent we groan, longing to put on our heavenly dwelling, ³if indeed by putting it on we may not be found naked. ⁴For while we are still in this tent, we groan, being burdened—not that we would be unclothed, but that we would be further clothed,so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life. ⁵He who has prepared us for this very thing is God, who has given us the Spirit as a guarantee.

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1 Thessalonians 4:16-17

¹⁶For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. ¹⁷Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord.

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"Hope is not a closing of our eyes to difficulty, risk, or failure; it is trust that if we fail now, we shall not fail forever, and that our lives are in His hands. It is a confidence that God’s grace is sufficient, no matter how fierce the storm, and that Christ will hold us steady as we stand firm in His unshakable promises." — John Piper, Future Grace

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Standing Firm in the Lord

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Philippians 4:1

¹Therefore, my brothers, whom I love and long for, my joy and crown, stand firm thus in the Lord, my beloved.

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Faithfulness and steadfastness in Christ are foundational to the Christian walk.

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1 Corinthians 15:58

⁵⁸Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.

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Ephesians 6:10-13

¹⁰Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. ¹¹Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. ¹²For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. ¹³Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm.

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"To stand firm in faith is not merely to hold your ground but to plant your roots deeply in the promises of God. It means trusting Him when the winds of doubt blow, the storms of life rage, and the world calls you to compromise. Faith anchored in Christ cannot be shaken because it rests on the Rock that never moves." — Charles Spurgeon

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